Paul Simon Announces ‘Farewell Tour’ (And There’s a MN Show!)

Last week, Paul Simon announced a "Farewell Performance" scheduled for July 15 in London. He just revealed that the show will be the last date of his Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour, which will stop at the Xcel Energy Center on June 8th.

“I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I'd consider bringing my performing career to a natural end," he said in a statement. "Now I know: It feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating and something of a relief. I love making music, my voice is still strong and my band is a tight, extraordinary group of gifted musicians. I think about music constantly. Sadly, we lost our lead guitarist and my friend of 30 years, Vincent N’guini, who died last December. His loss is not the only reason I’ve decided to stop touring, but it is a contributing factor. Mostly, though, I feel the travel and time away from my wife and family takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing. I’d like to leave with a big Thank You to the many folks around the world who’ve come out to watch me play over the last 50 years.”

This doesn't mean Simon will retire from performing entirely. "After this coming tour, I anticipate doing the occasional performance in a (hopefully) acoustically pristine hall, and to donate those earnings to various philanthropic organizations, particularly those whose objective is to save the planet, ecologically," he continued. "Once again, I am very grateful for a fulfilling career and, of course, most of all to the audiences who heard something in my music that touched their hearts."

The tour will begin May 16 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C., with the North American leg concluding in Nashville on June 20. After that, Simon will begin two weeks' worth of European shows, beginning in Stockholm on June 30 and ending with the London show on July 15.

Even though the tour is called Homeward Bound -- named after Simon's 1966 hit with Simon & Garfunkel -- there's surprisingly no date scheduled for his hometown of New York. But with 10 days between legs, it's possible something special could be revealed sometime soon.

Tickets for most of the North American dates go on sale Feb. 9 at 10AM local time. You can see all the dates below and get full details at Simon's website.